


The Hunter's Guilt

by SpaceButterflies



Series: Vampire AU because why not [2]
Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Neglect, Misunderstandings, Quirin's trying, There's Violence but it's not graphic, i just love vampires okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-17 09:21:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29223132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpaceButterflies/pseuds/SpaceButterflies
Summary: Never once in the twenty-odd years that Quirin had lived in this quaint little village did he think he would have to unearth his past. The beast, for the most part, had kept to itself, only preying on those who ventured too far into its wood. But now… Now it had stolen his son.It had declared war and he would be the victor.
Relationships: Quirin & Varian (Disney), Rapunzel & Varian (Disney)
Series: Vampire AU because why not [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2145609
Comments: 7
Kudos: 39





	The Hunter's Guilt

**Author's Note:**

> so... here's a sequel to my Vampire Freckled sibling's fic. Please enjoy!!

He should have seen it sooner.

He noticed when his boy had started staying up all night, but he didn’t think anything of it. He thought he was just busying himself with his experiments, it wasn’t anything new. 

Why didn’t he check in on him?

He noticed how he’d sneak up to his room at the crack of dawn. How tired he was during the day, how he’d sluggishly make his way through his chores and then sleep the rest of the day away. He noticed when he snuck out right before sunset, only to return the next morning and repeat the process each day. He noticed how he came home one morning looking frightened.

Why didn’t he follow him?

He noticed when he developed a cough. He noticed when he began to have difficulty breathing. He noticed when that cough turned from something slight to the same, wet, painful sounding cough that once shook his late wife’s body at night.

Why didn’t he act? Why did it take his boy collapsing in the field for him to do something? Why didn’t he pay him the attention he needed, the attention he _deserved_ until it was too late?

_Why wasn’t he there when he took his last breath?_

Quirin sat upon his son’s bed, his elbows on his knees and his fingers bridged together with his head hung low. It had only been three short weeks since his precious boy was taken from him. Stolen away from him by that damned beast from the wood.

He didn’t know what the creature would want with a dying child. Did it figure since he was on death’s door he was ripe for the taking? Or perhaps it wanted prey that couldn’t fight back?

Either way, the thought of that _beast_ sinking its fangs into his boy's throat and stealing away his last breath filled him with rage.

He stood and left the room. He marched to his own room, each step he took booming in the deafening silence in his home. Once there, he pulled open a small hatch in the floor and pulled out an old wooden box, worn and covered in dust from years of neglect. He brushed away the dust with the back of his hand, revealing the same symbol burned into the flesh of his hand, a part of his life he put to rest upon settling down and starting a family.

He reached into his shirt and pulled forth two chains, one with two simple wedding bands hanging from it and the other a key.

The lock gave with a gentle click, and the lid protested with a groan when he opened it. Within the leather lined box was an assortment of things; various vials containing everything from medical elixirs to holy water, crucifixes, silver daggers, the Holy Book, a revolver, and two rounds of silver bullets, with a third hidden away in a secret compartment for good measure, and of course… Wooden stakes.

Never once in the twenty-odd years he had lived in this quaint little village did he think he would have to unearth his past. The beast, for the most part, had kept to itself, only preying on those who ventured too far into its wood. But now… Now it had stolen his son.

It had declared war and he would be the victor.

Rapunzel watched from a safe distance as a lone traveler stoke their campfire, completely unaware of her presence. Her eyes drifted to their horse as it pawed at the snow covered ground to uncover the grass that lies beneath. Her gaze shifted to where her fledgling was crouched at her side, staring at the traveler with hungry red eyes. A small smile tugged at her lips and she nudged him gently, encouraging him to pounce.

But… He hesitated. He was holding himself back, and it wasn’t like she could blame him. His first feeding had left him just as frightened as her first feeding left her. The horrific realization that he had eagerly ripped out the throat of a hunter, the sick feeling of wanting _more_... It had terrified him.

He was scared of himself and he was holding himself back from hunting any further in an attempt to cling to what humanity he had left.

But he was still young, not even a month old! He had to eat, and… Maybe she _was_ coddling him a little, but … She bent down and in a whisper, she asked, “Do you want me to do it?” and he nodded.

Rapunzel hummed to herself as she gently stroked the horse’s neck in an attempt to soothe it. The poor creature was spooked when she had suddenly appeared and snapped its master's neck, and it was best to calm it before it ran off or attracted something else.

“Easy now,” she spoke gently, and the animal snorted in response. “You’re okay, no one’s going to hurt you.”

Once it was calm, Rapunzel smiled and turned to face Varian. His fangs were sunk deep into the traveler's neck as he drained every ounce of blood that he could. He had his eyes shut tight, to keep himself from having to see the crimson that stained not only the man's clothes but the boy's lips.

She took a step forward, amused to hear him _growl_ at her when she got too close, much like a feral cat with its prey.

It’s cute.

“I’m not going to take it,” she assured him and the growling stopped. She sat by the fire and plucked the rabbit left roasting over the flames and took a bite. “It’s all yours, kiddo.”

It didn’t take much longer for Varian to finish, and once he was done, he sat beside her and rested his head on her shoulder. He stared blankly at the fire, humming with content when Rapunzel began to run her fingers through his hair.

“Feel better?” She asked.

“Yeah, a little,”

“Still hungry?”

Varian laughed softly. “Yeah…” he began to wring his hands together. “H-How come… How come no matter how much I drink… It’s not enough?”

Rapunzel hummed in thought. She didn’t have an answer to give him. No one taught her anything, so all she had to go on was her own experiences. “I think… I think it’s because you’ve only recently been turned,” she offered. “When I had just been turned, it didn’t matter how much I drank I was still starving. But over time, as I got older, I didn’t need to drink as much, and now I can go a month without having to feed.”

Varian hummed and mulled it over. “So, once I’m older I won’t need to feed as much…”

“Yep,” Rapunzel grinned mischievously and pinched his cheek. “You’re just like a baby!”

Varian snapped at her fingers and shoved her away, earning a laugh. “I’m fifteen!”

“That is practically an infant, Varian,” she said matter-of-factually. “Talk to me when you’re fifteen hundred.”

“ _You’re_ not even fifteen hundred,” he pointed out and her lips twist into a frown. “You’re what? Six hundred? If I’m a baby then you’re a toddler.”

“Touché,” Rapunzel huffed and stood up from the log. “Come on, it’ll be dawn soon,” she pulled him up. “There’s an inn not too terribly far from here we can stay at.”

Varian hesitated as Rapunzel grabbed the horse's reins. He looked back at the traveler’s mangled corpse lying in the snow. He felt sick to his stomach when he caught himself licking his lips.

“R-Rapunzel, I… What if there’s… What if there are people? What if I—” She took his hands and he went quiet, looking up at her. She smiled gently at him.

“I won’t let you lose control,” she said, squeezing his hands. “I promise.”

Quirin sat at the bar of some old, rundown tavern. A mug of ale was in his hand and he tuned out the shouting of the rowdy bargoers as his mind wandered.

Five years.

Five, long, fruitless years of searching high and low for that bloody beast. Five long years since he had last seen his boy's smiling face. 

His journey led him far and wide. He followed any leads that were given to him, any rumors about vampire sightings, but none of it led him to what he was seeking. It was all dead ends, baseless rumors, false alarms… He was beginning to grow weary. But he couldn’t rest yet. But why? Why was he even doing this? Who was he doing this for? His son?

Would this be what Varian would want? Him wasting his old age on hunting down a beast to avenge him?

What of his wife? If she were still alive, she would have told him to let it go. But he couldn’t simply just let it go.

He _wouldn’t_ let it go.

He sighed and drank the last of his ale and left the pay on the bar before leaving the tavern, stepping out into the night. He glanced at the sky; moonless with dark storm clouds obscuring the moon and stars as thunder rumbled in the distance. 

The crisp autumn breeze, carrying with it the scent of rain, was cold on his skin, sending a shiver down his spine as it stirred his cloak.

He’d let it go when he had driven a stake through that monster's heart.

Varian tilted his head back to better feel the cold autumn rain on his skin. If the rain kept up like this, surely it would rain most of, if not the entire day tomorrow. There was once a time he hated the rain. Rainy days meant he was trapped inside doing boring housework. But now, oddly enough, rainy days gave him the opportunity to actually enjoy the day. Rainy days meant the sun wasn’t out, which meant he could wander around the market of whatever towns or villages he and Rapunzel were near. Rainy days meant most people stayed indoors, which meant he didn’t have to worry about losing control.

Most of the time, anyway.

Sometimes there would still be a crowd large enough to make him anxious, but— He had gotten better over the past five years. So much so he felt confident wandering off without Rapunzel. It was good for him. He needed to become independent. 

So, Varian pulled up his hood and wandered off into the night. He allowed himself to venture closer to the village, smiling to himself at the soft glow shining from the windows. He couldn’t help but think of home. The longer he stared, the more he found himself longing for the rainy days he was kept inside.

Rainy days meant he was kept inside, which meant doing boring housework… With Mom, and with Dad.

He stepped away from the village, turned away from the soft, warm lights, and carried on with his hunt. Thunder rumbled above him, and he couldn't help the wistful smile that crossed his face as he thought back to when thunder frightened him and sent him running to his parent's bedroom.

Varian shook his head. _That was a long time ago. There’s no point in thinking about it now._ He told himself. He couldn’t let himself get emotional right now, he needed to focus on the task at hand.

A cold breeze blew by, and on it, he caught the scent of a human. He caught himself licking his lips. It had been a while since he had human’s blood… Relying solely on deer for the past month or so. And while the blood of a deer did sustain him… It wasn’t quite the same as a human’s blood. It didn’t do anything to quench his thirst.

He followed the scent, though as the rain picked up, it became harder to track. Luckily, he was able to find his target just as the drizzle turned into a downpour. A hooded man, and based on how slow he was walking, he was older.

Varian kept his distance. He still wasn’t the best at hunting, at least not on his own, but surely he could overpower and bring down an old man, right?

He lunged at the man, only to jump back and barely avoid being shot with an arrow. The arrow landed in the ground at his feet with an audible ‘thunk’ causing him to stumble back. He looked at the hooded man, catching sight of the crossbow in his hand, loaded with silver arrows.

He cursed under his breath. _Of course_ the one time he tried hunting without Rapunzel he targeted a _hunter_. That’s just his luck, isn’t it?

“You’re young,” he heard the hunter say, and his breath hitched. No, no, it couldn’t be— “You’ve never hunted on your own before, have you?”

He couldn’t make a sound, instead, he stared at the hunter with wide eyes from beneath his hood. He took a step back when the man took a step forward. He tried to speak, but no words came out. The hunter lunged at him, knocked him off his feet, and pinned him to the ground with a knee on his stomach and a hand around his throat. The hunter raised a stake high above his head, but rather than plunge it into his heart, he stared at him with wide eyes.

Varian clawed at the man's gloved wrist, trying to pry his hand away from his throat. “D-Daddy—”

“Varian…?”

The stake fell from Quirin’s hand and clattered on the road as he stared wide eyed at the boy. _His_ boy, back from the dead, as young as the day he lost him, staring up at him with wide, frightened eyes. He let his hand fall from his throat, raised his knee just enough for him to move out from beneath it. He pulled the boy into his arms, hugging him tightly, fearing that if he let go he would disappear again.

He found himself overwhelmed with joy that brought tears to his eyes. His boy- His sweet, precious boy, alive and in the flesh.

“Oh, Varian,” he held him close and pressed a kiss to the side of his head. He tucked his son’s head in the crook of his neck, just as he did when he was small. “My baby boy, I’ve missed you so much—”

Varian roughly shoved him away and scrambled backward. “G-Get away-” he said and backed away from him, his eyes wide like saucers and a bright inhuman crimson. “P-Please, I don’t want— I-I don’t want to hurt you.”

Quirin’s joy quickly vanishes with the boy's words, replaced by sorrow. He wasn’t _alive_ anymore. He had been transformed into a creature of the night. A beast. A _vampire._ The very thing he had trained his entire life to hunt and kill.

His sorrow turned into fear; how many people has his boy killed? Fledglings are wild and unpredictable, cursed with an unquenchable thirst; they can slaughter an entire village in less than a night and still not be sated. Not even seconds ago was the boy intending on killing him where he stood.

Would he… Would he have to kill him? He took an oath to protect mankind from monsters, but… But this was his _son!_ How could he possibly…

_He’s not your son anymore,_ the voice in the back of his mind reminded him. _He may look like him, but he’s not. He’s a beast._

A beast— His boy… His dear boy… Taken from him and turned into a beast.

Anger bubbled in his chest. The beast from the wood; it did this. It hadn’t stolen him to feed, it stole him to make him part of its legion. It turned him into a bloodthirsty monster, damned his soul for all eternity.

He suddenly found himself wracked with guilt. This wouldn’t have happened if he had _been_ there with him in his final hours. If he hadn’t had left to hunt the very thing that took him away… If he had just stayed with him and comforted him like he needed, then he would be… He’d be with his mother like he should be.

He wouldn’t have been cursed to live as a monster.

“D-Dad?” Varian’s voice was small, almost frightened and that’s when Quirin realized he had picked up the stake. He looked between his face and the stake with fear in his eyes, and it broke his heart when he backed further away. “You’re not going to—”

Quirin stowed the stake away in his cloak. “It’s alright,” he said, though he could tell it did little to quell the boy's fears. “It’s alright…”

Varian swallowed, eyes never leaving where the stake was hidden beneath his father's cloak. “I don’t understand…” he said quietly. “Why are you… How are you… You’re a hunter?”

The man slowly stood from the ground, struggling ever so slightly as his old weary bones protested. He wasn’t as spry as he once was. “Yes, I’m a hunter,” he admitted. “I come from a long line of them. I had given it all up when I met your mother in favor of a peaceful life, but then that _beast_ stole you away… I…” he trailed off and sighed.

“Beast…?” Varian repeated, letting the word roll off his tongue. “You mean Rapunzel? Dad, she’s not… Dad, she’s not… The legends about her are wrong, Dad.” he said, and his father looked at him with skepticism.

“She stole you from your sickbed and turned you into a monster—”

“She took me from my _deathbed_ and saved my life,” Varian bit back.

“Saved? Varian, she didn’t _save_ you, she cursed you to a life of living in the darkness, damned your soul to hell for all eternity, I’d hardly call that _saved._ ”

“Well, it’s better than the alternative.”

“Is it?”

“I—” Varian looked at him with disbelief. “Would- Would you rather I was _dead?_ ”

“Of course not! I just—” Quirin’s voice got caught in his throat and he put a hand to his face. “I just wish I had been there to stop her from doing this to you.” His expression darkened and Varian swallowed hard. “I wasn’t able to stop her from turning you, but I can still stop her from turning anyone else.”

“Whether you like it or not, Rapunzel isn’t some monster. She’s one of the sweetest people you’ll ever meet if you’d just give her a chance—”

“You’re only saying that because she’s your sire!” Quirin snapped, his tone made the boy flinch. “You’re only attached to her because she’s your sire!”

“What— No! Rapunzel and I were friends _before_ she turned me!” The admission took Quirin by surprise. “We were friends before I got sick! Maybe you gave a damn about me you would have noticed!”

“Varian—”

“No! No, you- you never cared about me! You ignored me, you just… You didn’t care! The _only_ time I was able to get your attention was when I was _dying!_ ” Tears welled up in the boy’s eyes as he continued, “The only reason you’re here now is to make _yourself_ feel better! You think that killing the big bad monster that took me away will somehow make up for the fact you’ve been a lousy excuse for a father!

“Rapunzel’s been more of a family to me in five years than you have in my entire life,” his expression darkened, crimson eyes almost glowing in the dark of the night. “And if you want to kill her, you’re going to have to kill me first.”

Rapunzel had nothing to worry about. At least that was what she told herself as she wandered around in the rain. Varian told her he was going for a walk, so she had nothing to worry about! Yeah, they were very, very close to a village, but if he felt like he wouldn’t be able to control himself, he would have said so! He always does! So there’s no need to worry! Even though he _has_ been gone longer than usual, and it _is_ awfully close to sunrise…

_No._ She shook her head. _He’s fine. He’s perfectly capable of taking care of himself._

That’s right! So she doesn’t have to worry!

But… There’s nothing stopping her from going on a walk herself, and if she _just so happened_ to cross paths with him, well, what can she say? There are only so many places to take a nighttime stroll.

Rapunzel came to a standstill when she caught the scent of blood. It’s fresh and it’s close, otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to smell it over the rain. Okay, maybe she _did_ have something to worry about. Varian’s never hunted on his own before, not without her somewhere nearby to make sure he didn’t lose himself to his blood lust.

She followed the scent to its source, and once she found it; she saw red.

Varian doubled over and gripped his arm in pain. His knees shook as a burning pain shot through his bicep, the silver arrowhead lodged in his arm burning him from within. He glanced at his father from beneath his bangs, all he had managed to do was cut his cheek, but he wasn’t even phased by it.

He didn’t even seem phased by the fact he _shot his own son_.

Quirin took a step forward, almost amused by the way the fledgling bared its fangs at him like a wild animal caught in a trap in some feeble attempt to intimidate him. He took aim with his crossbow once more and pulled the trigger before the fledgling could act.

It cried out in pain and collapsed to the ground when the arrow lodged itself in its knee and looked at him with frightened eyes as he stowed his crossbow away and pulled forth the wooden stake. The fledgling's eyes grew even wider and filled with tears as it tried to scramble away.

Quirin stared down at it and swallowed the growing lump in his throat. The beast, _his boy_ , stared up at him with fearful, teary eyes, and it broke his heart. The boy tried to scramble away from him when he crouched down just inches from him.

“Hush now, Varian,” he said in an attempt to soothe him. His grip on the stake tightened as he used his other hand to keep him in place. He took a shaky breath, biting back the tears in his eyes. “Please forgive me.”

Pain shot through his back when something tackled him to the ground. The stake fell from his hand and rolled just out of his reach, and he was met with the sharp fangs of the fledgling's sire. She had him pinned to the cold hard ground; a hand around his throat, fangs bared and eyes glowing red with rage.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t rip out your throat,” she snarled, digging her nails into his throat, drawing blood.

“You took my son,” he wheezed. “You cursed him, damned him to burn in Hell for all eternity.” With each word her grip on his throat became tighter and black dots filled his vision, but it didn’t stop him from reaching for the revolver on his hip.

“Kill me if you want, but I’m taking you to Hell with me.”

Rapunzel hissed, and grabbed his wrist with her other hand, and forced him to fire his gun into the sky. She twisted his wrist until he dropped the revolver, and Quirin retaliated by throwing a punch at her with his free hand.

The force of the punch was enough to knock her away from him, allowing him a quick recovery and to grab one of the vials of holy water from his belt. But she was on him again before he could use it against her. She grabbed him by the face and slammed his head into the ground, hard enough to leave him in a daze. 

Rapunzel's hand flew to his throat again, but before she could tear into it Varian cried out, “Stop!” and she did. “Please- Please don’t hurt him!” She turned back to him, crimson eyes turning emerald green and growing wide with concern.

“Varian—” she rushed over to him, leaving the dazed hunter on the ground to collect himself. Her hands hovered, as she tried to figure out the best way to remove the arrows lodged in his bicep and knee. “Oh,” she sucked in a breath. “Okay, this is going to hurt. Don’t look, okay?”

Quirin pushed himself up, reaching for his revolver again but paused when he saw the beast carefully tend to her fledglings injuries. He heard her instruct him not to look as she removed the arrowhead from his arm; the injury bleeding profusely, and then she proceeded to scold him when he looked and what little color he had drained from his face at the sight of it.

A smile tugged at his lips. _He’s still scared of blood._

He watched curiously as she repeated the process with his knee, and then as she examined him for any other injuries much like a worried mother would. She then pulled him into her arms, holding him close and rubbing his back as he, undoubtedly, broke down into sobs.

He watched as she comforted him. As she pressed kisses into his hair and assured him that she was there and that he was safe.

It bewildered him. Never in all his years had he seen two vampires be so… Intimate with one another. If one didn’t know what they were, all they would see are a brother and a sister. They wouldn’t see a pair of monsters, and… Staring at them now as the girl gently wiped Varian’s tears away… Quirin had a hard time seeing a pair of monsters too.

He stood slowly and stowed away his gun and that’s when he realized they were staring at him; the girl gave him a threatening, warning glare, while his boy stared at him with uncertainty from where she held him close.

“I…” he didn’t quite know what to say. An apology was, without a doubt, in order, but… How exactly do you apologize to your son for trying to kill him?

Varian’s mouth turned dry when he saw his father turn away from them, and he pulled himself away from Rapunzel’s hold to stand on trembling legs. A dull pain shot through his knee where he had been shot, but already the injury had recovered enough for him to walk on it, albeit with a slight limp. 

“W-wait a minute!” He shouted over the rain. He reached out and grabbed his father’s cloak, bringing the man to a halt. “You- You don’t get to walk away from this.” He said. “You don’t get to walk away from _me._ ”

“Varian—“

“No, dad, listen to me; you tried to _kill_ me, you _don’t_ get to just walk away and pretend you didn’t.”

“I know,” Quirin admitted. He sighed a heavy, weary sigh. “I know.”

Varian let go of his cloak when he turned back around to face him. He stared at him with large, baby blue eyes, a stark contrast from the crimson red they were not only minutes ago.

“Varian, I…” he took a breath. “I’m sorry. Not just for this,” he gestured to the boy's injuries, already nearly healed. “But for the way, I treated you when you were… I didn’t treat you properly. I didn’t give you the love and attention you deserved and needed, especially after your mother died, and… I’m so sorry, son.”

“You left me,” Varian muttered in a hurt tone. “You left me when I needed you the most when I needed you to hold my hand and tell me everything was going to be alright, even though we both knew it was a lie. You… Left me to die alone.”

“I did, didn’t I?” He was right. Every word, every accusation, it was all true and Quirin couldn’t deny it. “Can you ever forgive me, Varian?” He asked, knowing he didn’t have the right nor did he deserve his forgiveness.

Varian was silent for a few moments as he mulled it over before he finally gave his answer. “No. I don’t think I can.”

Quirin nodded with acceptance, tired eyes drifting downward. “I’m sorry,” he said again. “For making you feel as if I didn’t care until I thought you were gone… For not trying harder before you got sick.”

“It’s not too late,” Varian said quietly, surprising the man. “I-I mean… I’m still here and… You could…” he glanced back at his sire. “Come with us… And-” he looked back at him, almost hopefully. “Try harder now?”

A heavy silence filled the space between them. Quirin couldn’t believe it. Even after he had just tried to kill him, kill his sire- his new family, even after years of neglect, Varian _still_ wanted him in his life… Or rather, his unlife. He glanced at the girl, Rapunzel, Varian had said her name was and cleared his throat under her watchful gaze.

“I wouldn’t want to impose—”

“It’s not an imposition,” Rapunzel said, joining them and giving him a pointed look. “Listen, I’ll be honest, I don’t really like you,” she confessed. “But… If this is what Varian wants, then…” her expression softened into a small smile. “You’re more than welcome to come with us.”

Her eyes flashed crimson and she pointed accusingly at him. “But if you _ever_ pull a stake on us again, I swear, I’ll tear out your—”

“What Rapunzel means is,” Varian pulled her away, shoving his hand in her face. “You’re welcome to come so long as you don’t try to… You know… Attack us again.”

A chuckle slipped past Quirin’s lips. “You, I’ve never seen a pair of vampires as… Human… As the two of you. I’m starting to think I’ve been wrong about everything.”

Rapunzel hummed with her hands on her hips. “You’ll find that a lot of us big bad monsters are more human than most… Well, humans.” She looked up at the sky as the rain came to an end and the clouds began to part. “It’s almost sunrise, we should get back to the wagon.”

Varian nodded and turned back to his father. He held out his hand, looking up at him hopefully. “We’re heading to Tenebris next if you want to come?”

“Tenebris, huh?” Quirin smiled. “You know, I’m originally from there,” he commented and took his boy's hand. “I’ll be more than happy to show you around.”

Varian beamed and hugged his father around the middle. “I missed you, dad.”

Quirin smiled and hugged him back, holding him close. “I missed you too, son.”

**Author's Note:**

> I just.... Love them...


End file.
